CELEBRITY SWINGER: Ricky Ponting
Former Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting is a passionate and extremely expert golfer.
Ricky Ponting, a legend of Australian cricket, carries a second sporting ardour each bit as fierce as his love for the sport that made him well-known – golf.
Born in Launceston, Tasmania, Ponting’s {golfing} journey started at Mowbray Golf Membership, the place at simply eight years of age he adopted his father onto the fairways. These early rounds lit a spark that turned a lifelong obsession, with college holidays spent competing along with his brother and sharpening the aggressive instincts that might later outline his cricketing profession.
In the present day, Ponting is a proud member at Peninsula Kingswood in Melbourne, the place his two-handicap and tally of seven hole-in-ones communicate to his pure potential. His sporting travels have taken him to a number of the world’s most revered layouts, from Pine Valley to Shinnecock Hills and the historic hyperlinks of Prestwick, mixing his international sporting profile with a deep appreciation for golf’s most storied venues.
Even on the peak of his cricketing profession, when captaining Australia, Ponting all the time made room for golf. Rounds with fellow cricketers corresponding to Mark Waugh, Greg Blewett and Glenn Maxwell turned treasured escapes, proof that the pull of the sport by no means wavered.
Now, as ambassador for the newly revitalised Championship Course at Launceston’s Nation Membership, Ponting is championing Tasmanian golf on the nationwide stage. And thru the Ricky Ponting Basis, he harnesses the game’s unifying energy to boost important funds for childhood most cancers analysis, mixing his aggressive drive with heartfelt philanthropy.
Ponting’s story is not only that of a cricketing nice who performs golf. It’s the story of a real devotee of the sport, one who approaches each swing, each spherical, and each course with the identical ardour and precision that outlined his profession within the ‘dishevelled inexperienced’.
Ponting with Nation Membership Tasmania’s head of golf Bryce Gorham.
CROCKETT: Ricky, are you able to inform us about your earliest reminiscences of golf and the way you bought began with the sport?
Ricky Ponting: My first reminiscences of golf return to my dad, who was an excellent participant when he was youthful. He began a traineeship in Launceston, however that didn’t end as a result of I got here alongside, and I believe the man he was working with handed away. Dad used to take each second Friday off work to play golf along with his mates, and I’d typically get these days off college. I’d stroll round with him and his mates at Mowbray Golf Membership in Launceston, simply watching them play. My brother and sister have each performed interstate golf as members there, too.
When did you actually catch the golf bug, and the way did it turn out to be an even bigger a part of your life?
It was most likely in my early teenagers throughout summer time college holidays. My mother and father each labored, so that they’d drop my brother and I on the golf course at eight within the morning and choose us up at 5 within the afternoon. We’d spend the entire day there, having chipping or placing comps or taking part in gap after gap. That’s when it actually took maintain. My brother, who’s three years youthful, was additionally an excellent participant, and we had plenty of enjoyable with competitions and video games collectively. That’s the place the love for golf actually began to develop.
Did you handle to play a lot golf when you have been captain of the Australian cricket crew, or was it powerful to search out time?
No, we performed rather a lot, although it relied on the excursions. Early in my profession, like my first Check tour to the Caribbean in 1995 or the Ashes tour in 1997, we had extra time to play. Within the UK, for instance, we have been there for about 4 months, taking part in county groups as nicely, so there was a good bit of downtime for golf between cricket video games. Again then, guys like Mark Taylor, David Boon, and Mark Waugh cherished a recreation, so we performed fairly a bit. Excursions have turn out to be extra compacted now with tighter schedules, however even the present crew…guys like David Warner, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Glenn Maxwell…like to get out and play. Golf’s nonetheless a giant a part of a global cricketer’s touring life.
Which Australian cricketers are probably the most enjoyable to play golf with?
Glenn Maxwell might be the bottom handicapper within the present group, so he’s nice to play with. I used to play rather a lot with Greg Blewett—we’re nice mates and similar-level golfers, so we’ve had some cracking matches through the years. Extra just lately, Steve Smith has caught the golf bug huge time and is tremendous captivated with it, which makes him enjoyable to play with.
Are you able to title a number of the greatest golf programs you’ve performed all over the world?
Dwelling in Melbourne, I’m a member at Peninsula Kingswood, which is nearly as good a {golfing} expertise as you’ll discover wherever, with its two programs and prime services. Internationally, I’ve performed some beauties like Portrush in Eire and some in Scotland, like Kingsbarns and Prestwick, which have hosted about 50 British Opens. Final yr, I did a 15-day golf journey to the US, taking part in 14 days at programs like Pine Valley, Shinnecock Hills, Friar’s Head, and Merion. These have been unimaginable experiences.
What’s your present handicap, and have you ever added to your seven hole-in-ones since we final spoke in 2014?
My present GA handicap is 2. I haven’t added to the seven hole-in-ones, sadly. I’ve been away working for six months straight in India, the US, and the UK, so I haven’t performed a lot aggressive golf just lately. Now that I’m again, I’m eager to get into some competitions at Peninsula Kingswood or Metro and attempt to get that handicap down a bit.
Have you ever performed the unique structure of the Championship Course at Launceston, and what’s the land like in that space?
Yeah, I performed it rather a lot rising up in Launceston. It was a part of {the golfing} street journey across the north of Tasmania, together with Mowbray, Riverside, and the Nation Membership. The realm has some nice programs, and I spent plenty of time on the Nation Membership, particularly since transferring away from Tasmania. The land there may be incredible for golf, and the renovations I noticed in March blew me away. They’re doing all the things to the best spec, with no element missed.
Are you able to inform us in regards to the renovations on the Nation Membership in Launceston and what’s been achieved to date?
The renovations are unimaginable. They’ve redone the holes closest to the clubhouse and lodge first, and the standard is top-notch—immaculate greens, pure white bunker sand, and the distinction with the fescue is beautiful. They’ve additionally added a state-of-the-art 28-bay driving vary, which had already seen over 300,000 balls hit in its first two weeks. There’s a cool mini-golf putt-putt inexperienced, too, creating an excellent surroundings for youthful individuals and households. They’ve redone lakes, bridges, streams, and creeks, and it’s shaping as much as be a world-class {golfing} expertise.
Has the Federal Group invested within the lodge and on line casino areas as nicely, or is the main focus primarily on the golf course?
The golf course is the precedence proper now, together with the driving vary and mini-golf services. Down the monitor, they’ll put money into the lodge and on line casino areas, however the focus is on making the golf course and general expertise as high-quality as potential. They’re aiming to make it a vacation spot that rivals locations like Barnbougle for worldwide vacationers.
By his Ricky Ponting Basis, Ricky and his spouse Brianna do excellent work in elevating cash and supporting youngsters and households battling childhood most cancers.
Do you assume the revamped Nation Membership course will appeal to extra golfers to remain in Launceston as a substitute of heading straight to Barnbougle?
Completely. Once I was there two weeks in the past, I met some guys choosing up their golf equipment on the airport, heading to Barnbougle. I informed them, ‘in 12 months, you’ll be coming to the Nation Membership first.’ The imaginative and prescient is to make it a must-play vacation spot, and with the care they’re placing into it, it received’t take lengthy for that to catch on.
Are there plans for a giant launch occasion, like a charity golf day, on the Nation Membership in summer time 2026?
Yeah, they’ve obtained numerous nice concepts. The course continues to be referred to as the Championship Golf Course, and there’s a giant imaginative and prescient to host main occasions there. With my contacts and company help, I’m concerned to assist market it and guarantee it’s a top-tier {golfing} expertise. A charity golf day or huge occasion is certainly on the playing cards to showcase the course.
Are you able to inform us in regards to the Ricky Ponting Basis and the way golf performs a task in it?
The muse, run by my spouse Brianna and me for about 15 or 16 years, raises cash for kids and households battling childhood most cancers. It’s going robust, although the charity greenback is more durable to return by as of late. We’ve turn out to be extra Tasmania-centric within the final 5 years, elevating and injecting funds again into Tasmania. Now we have a fundraising Massive Bash League recreation every year, just like the Hurricanes vs. Brisbane Warmth at Launceston Enviornment this yr, which helps medical providers for teenagers with most cancers in Tasmania. Golf has been a giant a part of our fundraising, with many golf days in Melbourne and past the place proceeds go to the inspiration.
The put up Cricketing ‘royalty’ with a fierce {golfing} ardour first appeared on Inside Golf. Australia’s Most-Learn Golf Journal as named by Australian Golfers – FREE.
